Triorion Omnibus

by L. J. Hachmeister

  It was over. She won.

  Unipoesa walked to the engineering interface. “Science teams manually released the anti-pharon. Power coming back online.”

  He looked at her with tired eyes. “Finish the job, Cadet.”

  Of course, she thought to herself. He has to be sure.

  Tarsha went back to the war globe and called up all the information on the scanners. It appeared as though the Republic ships had not regained power.

  “Target only the flagship,” she decided. Unipoesa looked at her strangely.

  “When this is over, I’m sure the Alliance will need the spare parts,” she replied coolly.

  Tarsha waited until the targeting systems locked onto her brother’s ship. She imagined Li’s corpse, wrinkled and desiccated, sucked clean of marrow and vital fluids, watching from the other side.

  “Fire.”

  ALONG THE PERIPHERIES of her awareness, Jetta heard her sister sharing her knowledge about the class four particle cloud and the timed release of anti-pharon. If she hadn’t detached from her body, she would have told the crew what to do to expedite the reboot of the power grid as the Wraith drifted toward the edge of the Dissembler horizon. Instead, she dove head-first back into the place of pain.

  The Healer was far ahead, her light fading into the burning halo of the Dissembler collective. Ignoring her own pain, Jetta concentrated every last bit of herself on catching up to her love. Flesh crisped and flecked away. Nerve endings boiled. Her mind filled with the tortured screams of divided souls.

  (Triel, wait!) Jetta shouted, reaching as far as her mind would allow. So little of her remained. A scrap of tissue, a strand of hair; only her heart, and eyes that would not look away as she stared into death.

  The flames swelled and roared as the Healer’s essence merged with the collective. Jetta slammed into the ground, her mind exploding with crystalline urgency.

  (TRIEL!)

  Something tugged mercilessly at her core until she was launched into the air. Before she could orient herself, an invisible force latched on and yanked her forward like a predator retracting its prey. Jetta fought back, digging into the invisible plane, burrowing into the dark matter and anchoring herself. The pull transcended pain. A high tone rang in her head, increasing in volume as she struggled to keep herself from shearing in half.

  Triel!

  A voice cut through the ringing, whispering words spoken just moments before: “Everything that has happened to me has led to me being right here, right now... I chose that path, I found you... Thank you for letting me love you, and giving me your strength...”

  The pull intensified exponentially. A chorus of voices distinguished themselves from the ringing inside her head. The same voices she had heard once before, strangely abrasive, jarring, cutting through her bones—

  (Ai-lĕ, ime, Ai-lĕ—nos k’etekµe imæ Ai-lĕ)

  (Umnïero, Amaroka, f’ro ime nos wrli e)

  (Dk’a ovŋĭl sh’dar’o)

  Jetta remembered. The other Prodgies—

  She hunkered down. If she let go, she would dissolve in the flames of the Dissemblers along with Triel. There must be something she could do to save her love.

  Triel, Jetta projected with all her might. I give you my life, my body, my soul. Take it. Come back.

  The Dissemblers took new interest in her. Pain splintered her spine and crushed her skull. Her flesh became a canvas for their pain. Steeling herself against the agony, she held onto the only thing she could. Jetta curled in on her memories, the joy of her heart, and whispered her last words: (I love you, Triel of Algardrien.)

  Chapter XVI

  Jaeia opened her eyes to the blurred joining of walls. Monitors beeped steadily in the background. Her mind gathered with speed as she watched a white-coated doctor check her vital signs. Dr. Kaoto? Surprise and relief came over her in waves.

  “Captain,” he nodded, looking at her through the magnification of his specialized glasses. “Welcome aboard the Nyrok.”

  The medical frigate—we must be orbiting Nagoor, Jaeia thought. Tarsha did it.

  “Report?” she asked, sitting up as best she could. As soon as she tried to move, her head spun in every which direction. Kaoto must have loaded her up with medications.

  (That can’t be good—)

  “Wren made contact from Trigos about an hour ago with good news. Apparently he’s convinced the majority of the General Assembly to come back to the Starways Alliance. Chancellor Reamon has even offered his assistance in the negotiations.”

  Jaeia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. That by itself was a miracle. “What about Jue Hexron? And the Motti ship?”

  Touching her shoulder, Kaoto tried to calm her down. “Unipoesa is starting the preliminary cleanup right now. The Motti ship appears to have been be neutralized.”

  Jaeia thought about the shock collar Tarsha had forced him to wear. “And Tarsha?”

  Kaoto smiled politely. “I believe she has taken her friend and departed.”

  Jaeia kept her emotions from registering on her face. Gripping the bedsheets, she quietly inquired about the crew of the Wraith.

  “Docked in bay one. We’re currently treating your sister in the next suite.”

  Jaeia was hesitant to celebrate. First, she listened with her inner ear. Her senses picked up two heartbeats other than her own. Jetta and Jahx were still alive. When she searched for the other familiar tune, she found it captured only in memory.

  “What happened to Triel?”

  The words sucked her back behind her sister’s eyes, into a fresh memory. The dog-soldiers were standing over her, shaking her awake. Jetta was slow to stir, still returning from the far reaches of a transitional world. She watched as Jetta frantically searched for Triel, tearing the ship apart until her body gave out.

  Triel was gone.

  Kaoto gathered his dataclips. “I think that would be best answered by your sister.”

  Nodding, Jaeia rubbed away the tears in her eyes.

  Kaoto lowered his voice. “Captain, there isn’t much more I, or Dr. DeAnders, can do for you and your siblings. I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do to make you more comfortable, please let me know. I’ve given you the last of the boosters so you can have some time to do what you need to do. Please call for the nurse if you’d like to get up.”

  Jaeia watched him go, disheartened by the soft-spoken doctor’s grim condolences. This is it. There’s no more time.

  Jaeia didn’t bother to call the nurse. Instead, she removed all the monitoring equipment and intravenous lines before shakily making her way over to her sister’s bed in the next intensive care compartment.

  Jetta was awake, sitting at the edge of her bed, pale and swaying back and forth with her eyes closed. As Jaeia started to speak, the overhead com crackled to life.

  “Attention, attention. This is Chief Commander Wren. I am honored to announce the success of the peace treaty forged with the General Assembly and the remainder of the Galactic Republic. The Starways Alliance has fought many battles against enemies that seem much stronger and faster than ourselves. Yet, by our strength of conviction and our honorable mission to bring peace and justice to all Sentients, we prevail. Now, with the aid of Dr. Kurt Stein, we can start to rebuild our fallen worlds and look to the future. It is with heartfelt gratitude and the most profound thanks to our soldiers and crewmen that I announce our victory, and welcome you all into a new era of peace.”

  Cheers thundered through the medical frigate. Jaeia stumbled into the bed, overwhelmed by the surge of emotions flooding the ship.

  Finally, peace—

  —Time to go home—

  —I don’t have to be afraid anymore

  Two hands steadied her and guided her to the bed as she blocked out the voices.

  “Glad to see you again, Sis.”

  Jaeia didn’t want to believe her eyes. Jetta’s face was reduced to skin stretched over bone. The whites of her eyes had yellowed, and her hair looked thin and br
ittle. All of the finely-toned muscle that once molded her tall frame had been whittled away to taut, fatless strips. There was no question that death was just around the corner.

  Jaeia held her tightly. “Are you okay?”

  She felt the back of her patient gown dampen with her sister’s tears. Jetta’s chest heaved as she fought to contain her sobs.

  I can’t believe she’s gone.

  Jaeia kissed her cheek. “I know.”

  A weak laugh broke through her tears. “But I guess we’re not far behind her.”

  Jaeia couldn’t argue with that.

  “Eight years and a thousand lifetimes old,” Jetta said, pulling away and drying her eyes. Regret tinged her sister’s words. “I guess I can’t complain.”

  “I know; I wish it didn’t have to end this way either,” Jaeia whispered. “I wanted to see Kurt rebuild the Homeworlds.”

  Jetta nodded. “Me too.”

  A nurse rounded the corner, trailed by medics. The worry left her face once she found Jaeia with her sister.

  “Captain, please—you’re on strict bedrest.”

  The nurse tried to usher Jaeia away, but Jetta wouldn’t let her.

  Jetta’s control surprised her. “Please, just give us this moment. We don’t have many left.”

  The nurse hovered for a moment, but left without an argument.

  Jetta stripped off her monitoring equipment. “We’d better go see Jahx. They have him in an isolation unit.

  Opening the locker next to her bed, her sister found her uniform and boots. As she took off her gown to change, she gasped.

  “Jaeia—my stomach—it’s completely healed!”

  Jaeia didn’t understand the significance. “That’s good?”

  Jetta slapped her forehead, her eyes jerking back and forth. Jaeia tried to keep up with her thought process, but by the time Jetta was making her way out the door, she had just grasped her twin’s conclusion.

  “Oh Gods,” Jaeia said, hurriedly snatching her uniform from her own locker and running down the hall after Jetta.

  Her sister was kind enough to let her catch up and board the lift but showed no further consideration as she sped down the halls. Jaeia was lucky enough to get most of her uniform on before Jetta hopped off and ran into the docking bay.

  The deck officer stopped her as she tried to board a two-man cruiser.

  “Sir, there are restrictions on flights right now.”

  “I need this ship!” Jetta demanded.

  “Most of our starcraft are being deployed to aid the survivors on Jue Hexron.”

  Jetta rung in the admiral on her sleeve. “Damon, I need to get to that Motti ship now. Override any standing order on flights.”

  Damon’s image popped up on her forearm. “Shouldn’t you be in the infirmary?”

  “This is an emergency.” Jetta’s face turned beet red, her voice shaky and high. “Trust me.”

  Unipoesa typed in something off the visual field. “I already deployed an SMT. You are more than welcome to oversee their progress.”

  “No,” Jetta refused. “I have to go there myself.”

  Unipoesa looked her up and down. “I can’t let you do that, Commander, in your compromised state.”

  Her sister’s distress felt like hot coals in her belly. Jaeia needed no cue. Flipping off Jetta’s sleeve, she turned to the deck officer. “Thank you for letting us take the cruiser. We will return it shortly.”

  Jetta didn’t wait to make sure Jaeia’s second voice had taken effect as she hoisted herself into the two-man cruiser.

  “Thanks, Jae,” Jetta said, gunning the engines before buckling in.

  Jaeia waited until they cleared the bay doors and got to a safe jump distance before asking. “Do you really think that Triel somehow survived?”

  Jetta didn’t answer right away. Checking the scanner readings, she made the calculations to jump to the last known Motti ship location, her green eyes more vibrant and alive than Jaeia could ever remember seeing them. “I don’t think,” she said, placing a hand over her healed abdomen. “I feel.”

  JETTA INTERCEPTED THE Special Missions Team charged with investigating the Motti ship on the terminal access point under the belly of the giant Deadwalker ship. With careful maneuvering, she connected with the umbilicus of the Alliance stealth starcraft and boarded to meet the team. She found all of her old crew suiting up in the prep room, grabbing weapons, detection equipment and biohazard gear from the lockers.

  Ferraway, the team leader, greeted her first. “Captain, Commander—Sir, we weren’t expecting—”

  “At ease, Lieutenant,” she said, saluting back. “Tell me what you know.”

  As he handed her a datafile, he opened his mind, allowing her and her sister to take what they needed in seconds.

  That’s unusual, Jaeia commented, not used to that level of trust.

  Pride swelled in her heart. Not for my SMT.

  “Our scanners are unable to give us any accurate life sign readings; there’s a lot of unusual activity interfering with our equipment,” Ferraway said, showing them the holographic projections on his uniform sleeve. “I’m taking the team in now to do a manual sweep.”

  A high-pitched squeal interrupted their conversation. Ferraway stepped to the side, allowing the twins to watch as Tech made the final connections to reintegrate Billy Don’t into their mobile communications system. The little Liiker boy appeared as happy as could be, strapped to a rolling cart with a com dish, giggling and making bubbles with his lubricants. M’ah Pae’s ocular device, covered in a white slime, rolled around in one of his neck ports.

  Jetta shuddered, sharing a mutual disgust with her twin.

  I can’t believe they got Tech to agree to this, Jaeia said.

  Unipoesa told him to think of all the other girls and boys like Billy that may still be trapped.

  Jaeia sighed. Of course he did.

  “We’re coming with you,” Jetta said, turning back to Ferraway.

  Even though she hadn’t been his commanding officer for long, he read her almost as well as her siblings. Instead of a protracted fight, he outfitted them with specialized biohazard suits for the trip on board the living Motti starcraft.

  He pulled her aside, out of earshot from the rest of the SMT. “I’m leading this one, Commander.”

  As she stepped in to argue her rank, he grabbed her by the elbow, keeping her upright until her wobbly legs stabilized. If it had been anyone else, she would shoved them away.

  “Alright,” she whispered.

  They boarded the ship in two teams, Jetta and Jaeia flanking with two soldiers assisting them.

  Even through the helmet filters, Jetta tasted the salty tang in the air. Fanning their flashlights revealed red, sacculated walls and dripping ceilings. As she wiggled through sphincters and peered down metal-plated fistulas, half-remembered sensations of being aboard a Motti ship ghosted her thoughts.

  Buzzing—

  Insects?

  —(why can’t I open my eyes?)—

  Can’t breathe in this heat—

  Jetta bit down on her lower lip to stifle the memories. Despite her efforts, the tension in her body and mind grew the deeper they penetrated.

  You’re not the only one, Jaeia whispered across their bond, drawing her sister’s attention to Billy Don’t. The little Liiker had grown quiet, his eyes darting about as he made strange clicks with his tongue. Jetta couldn’t understand his mind, but she could relate to his discomfort. This is a place of remembrance and pain for him, too.

  “He doesn’t like this,” Tech said nervously, checking the connections. “He really, really doesn’t like this.”

  They spotted the first Liiker butting his head against a wall in a digestion parlor off of a main channel. Soon they found several more Liikers like him, confused and disoriented, spinning in circles or twitching in a collective heap.

  “Ask Billy what happened,” Jetta said, keeping her distance from one of the multi-headed creatures mounted on a
centipede frame. Upturned, its tined silver legs kicked at the air in a futile attempt to right itself.

  Tech input the query on a remote keyboard before asking Billy aloud.

  The little Liiker sputtered and convulsed. As Billy’s eyes rolled back into his head, Tech furiously worked to stabilize the connections.

  Years ago, Tech outfitted Billy with a type of voicebox in hopes that he could restore his speech, but celebrated only limited success. Now he emitted sounds that had no business coming from such a small child.

  “We... are... in the... dark...”

  The Dissemblers broke down their communications network, Jaeia said, sharing her insight. They’re all lost.

  “We... seek... to... be... one again...”

  Jetta touched her stomach, feeling an invisible force pulling down and inwards.

  “Ask him where the Dissemblers are.”

  “No!” Tech said, wringing his hands at the sight of his companion. “He’s going to overload!”

  Pushing off the soldier assisting her, Jetta mounted the mobile communications unit beside Tech. She thought Billy’s parts would only make sense to her through Tech’s eyes until she recalled a piece of incidental knowledge she had gleaned off of Victor.

  How is this possible?

  Her sister’s realizations reverberated across their bond: Josef Stein mastered and evolved much of the Motti technology, but it was Victor who had first devised the cranial implants and biomechanical parts, and expanded their function over the centuries to control and manipulate M’ah Pae...

  With a few adjustments, Jetta stabilized Billy. As he came to, so did the tears.

  “Billy,” she said crouching before him. “You have nothing to be afraid of. The bad man who did this is gone. These are your brothers and sisters who need our help. But first we have to find the Dissemblers. We have to know that they have been stopped.”

  Babbling something she didn’t understand, Billy Don’t pointed one of his extenders toward the pulsating corridors.

  Jetta accepted a soldier’s arm to help her across the slick yellow floors. Following close behind her, Jaeia drew her attention to the chatter and buzz coming up from all around them.